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Engineers Qualifying and Classification System - The Supreme Council of the Gulf Engineering Union

Section No. 1: Definitions

Engineer: is a person who holds a bachelor's degree or an equivalent in engineering or architecture from an accredited university by Gulf Engineering Union.

Committee: is a body of the participating GCC engineering council/society, which oversees the applicants’ test to grant them title of engineering.

Engineering Title: is the title granted by the committee to the engineer who meets the specific requirements of this system.

Engineer (Titled): is whom accredited by the committee to get this title in accordance with the conditions specified in the system.

Professional Engineer: is an engineer whom accredited by the committee to get this title in accordance with the conditions specified in the system.

Consultant Engineer: is an engineer whom accredited by the committee to get this title in accordance with the conditions specified in the system.

Experience: is the Engineer’s accumulated information and skills during the practical application of engineering’s many sites and categories within supervision of either a professional or a consultant engineer, which has to contribute in widening the engineer’s aspects and to make him able to solve problems and to lead teams to achieve his responsibilities.

Section No. 2: Introduction

The progress of nations and the people who form them is only made by raising performance of the individual in his career. Moreover, upgrading the performance style in an individual career can only be achieved by regulating the practice of profession according to whatever standards, systems, regulations and specific properties that ensures the quality of services provided by the members of this profession.

The engineer is able to find in Engineers Qualifying and Classification System what makes him able to proceed in his career and to answer all question that will help him to move with more distinguished way than others.

Granting the title from GEU alongside with his own experience means that he is qualified up to a degree that ensures his abilities, which will help to highlight his understanding regarding the job of engineering and increase his self-esteem that makes him offer his services to community.

The community, hence, will be confident that this engineer will provide the best and most refined engineering service in his major, which is a noble goal that reflects the civilized progress of this community.

Section No. 3: Committee

1. The committee consists of (9) members appointed by the following stakeholders:

· Three members appointed by the Gulf Engineering Council/Society, which the chairman be elected among them.

· One member will ben choose from among three who are nominated by each of the following parties:

o A representative of an architecture or engineering school.

o Five representatives from government ministries and agencies where there are large numbers of engineers.

2. Each committee member must be a resident of GCC on a permanent basis for the duration of the membership.

3. The membership of the committee lasts for three years (except for the first committee). Three members’ membership are expired in end of first year and replaced with another three. The other three members (out of six) are replaced with end of the second year et al. It is allowed to renew a membership but with a nomination of the body that assigned him.

4. The Council Presidency lasts for a period of three years (except for the first Council, where it shall be for four years) and may be re-elected in case of the renewal of its membership.

5. After four years of establishing first council, three memberships are off by draw and replaced by three who represent the same period. After the fifth year, other three memberships are off and will be replaced. Finally, in the end of sixth year, the rest three of the first council are off and replaced by other three.

6. When a membership is vacant due to death, resignation or any other excuse, another member is assigned through the society/council up to the end.

7. A member of the committee has to be a consultant engineer and a member in the GCC engineering council/society.

The member in the first council has to be a member of the GCC engineering council/society, and to acquire one of

these prerequisites:

a) 15 years’ experience after the bachelor.

b) 10 years’ experience after the master's degree in engineering.

c) 5 years’ experience after a PhD degree in engineering.

8. Annual bonuses for the chairperson and members of the committee are paid within accordance with financial regulations made by the GCC engineering council/society.

9. It is permissible – within common consent of the rest of members - to dismiss a member due to neglect of duties, commit misconduct or making crime involving moral turpitude.

10. The Board determines the way and number of meetings to be at least one each two months.

11. The Board shall elect from among its members a secretary, who shall have the following tasks:

a) Preparation of minutes of meetings.

b) Keep records of applicants for title of engineering and test results.

c) Take the administrative procedures for the preparation and processing of testing, conduct and declaration of results.

12. The committee identifies the main engineering disciplines and sub-classifications that engineers need to give them the title of engineering.

13. The committee shall establish the rules for giving title to whom had the same one from another country out of GCC.

14. Committee records and all data for license applicants are considered confidential and may not be acquainted with them third parties without their respective owners’ written consent.

15. The committee publishes every year a statement of the names and addresses of certified engineers of the Council declaring each one’s title.

Section No. 4: General Requirements

Engineer

Applicants for the title of "engineer" have to have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent in engineering or architecture from a accredited University or institute.

The application is submitted through the official society/council form, where also fees are paid.

Professional engineer

The applicant for the title of "professional engineer" has to pass the set tests and meet one of the following requirements:

1. To be an engineer and has documented experience of four years after graduation at least.

2. To be an engineer who has either a master's degree or PhD in engineering with practical experience of one year at least.
The application has to be submitted through official council/society form and the listed fees have to be paid.

Consultant Engineer

The applicant in order to obtain the title "consulting engineer" has to get a recommendation from a consulting engineer who supervised his work experience during professional work as an engineer, and meet one of the following requirements:

1. To be a professional engineer who has documented experience of fifteen years after graduation at least and pass a personal interview with the relevant committee formed by the council/society.

2. To be a professional engineer who obtained a master's degree in engineering, a documented experience of ten years at least, and pass a personal interview with the relevant committee formed by the council/society.

3. To be a professional engineer obtained a PhD in engineering a documented experience of ten years at least, and pass a personal interview with the relevant committee formed by the council/society.

The application has to be submitted through official council/society form and the listed fees have to be paid.

Section No. 5: Tasks and Duties

Engineer

1. Assists in the preparation and implementation of plans and designs for engineering projects.

6. Assists in preparation of technical project-specific engineering and facing problems and constraints of them.

7. Assists in preparation and auditing of memorandums of change, monthly payments, minutes of meetings and deductions.

8. Assists in preparation of studies related to financial and time claims and respond to them.

9. Has an overview on the latest technological developments in the field of engineering work to develop their own capabilities.

Professional engineer

1. Sets the designs and drawings for engineering projects and expedite their implementation in accordance with the technical foundations.

2. Studies and puts the technical specifications for engineering projects’ works according to international standards and systems.

3. Studies offers related to engineering projects, which are proposed by contractors and/or engineering offices through compliance of technical and contractual terms of the required specifications and conditions.

4. Studies the required projects to develop services and facilities in the field of engineering work, including determination of appropriate time to implement programs for small projects.

5. Does technical studies and research on engineering projects in accordance with the followed scientific basics.

6. Submits the site to the contractor.

7. Audits and confirms the safety of the carried out work and their compliance with the required specifications and conditions.

8. Designs safety programs and preventive maintenance that belong to engineering projects in order to maintain their performance as effectively as possible.

9. Sets the technical reports for engineering projects, records of problems and obstacles, and make observations and suggestions for the development of the necessary work.

10. Sets the memorandums of change, monthly payments, minutes of meetings and deductions s according to the technical assets.

11. Prepares the studies related to financial and time claims and respond to them..

12. Provides all new needed information relating to work in order to benefit from them in engineering work.

13. Participate in the tasks of technical committees related to his major and field of work in order to provide technical specialized opinion.

14. Participates and oversees the training of "engineers" and technicians, including participation in the development of plans and training programs in field of work.

Consultant Engineer

1. Supervises the preparation of designs/drawings for engineering projects and suggests appropriate ways to implement them.

3. Gives technical opinion regarding offers related to engineering projects, which are proposed by contractors and/or engineering offices and ensure their compliance of technical and contractual terms of required specifications and conditions.

4. Supervises the implementation of the necessary projects for the development of services and facilities in the field of engineering work, including taking required actions to address any defect in implementation procedures projects.

5. Supervises the preparation and review of technical studies and research on engineering projects, including providing suggestions for modifying or implementation.

6. Supervises the coordination between the various engineering projects in the same region.

7. Supervises the design of safety and preventive maintenance programs for engineering projects.

8. Gives the necessary recommendations to solve the problems and constrains of engineering projects implementation.

9. Supervises the preparation and auditing of memorandums of change, monthly payments, minutes of meetings and deductions, including the accreditation of sources of materials and charts according to the technical assets.

10. Gives technical opinion in studies that are related to financial and time claims, respond to them, and sets the appropriate recommendations.

11. Designs guidelines for the engineering projects.

12. Puts the general plans, milestones and emergency plans to develop the engineering work and ensure the availability of necessary budget.

13. Participates in work of the technical committees related to his specialty and field of work in order to provide technical specialist opinion.

14. Supervises the engineering training programs, puts the plans, programs and training needs in the work field.

1. Tests are held twice a year during March and October when the committee announces the date and place of the exam at least a year before the fixed date.

2. Tests will be held at the engineering council/society headquarter, and they may be held in another place determined by the council/society.

3. The entry fee for a test to obtain the title of professional engineer will be equivalent amount to 150 KD and the entry test fees to obtain the title of consultant engineer will be equivalent amount to 300 KD. These fees have to be paid during the appointment set by council/society before the test.

4. Sections tests:

Professional engineer: the test consists of two parts:

Section I: Fundamentals of Engineering test, which is 50% of the total degree. It requires the applicant to perform this exam the minimum requirements set forth in Section #4 are met from this system to qualify for the title of professional engineer except of practical experience period.

Section II: Professional Test, which is 50% of the total degree. It requires the applicant to perform this exam the minimum requirements set forth in section #4 of this system to qualify for the title of professional engineer, including the conductance period of practical exam.

Consultant Engineer: a test of one section, which is done in an interview with the committee. It includes questions about previous experiences of the applicant. The Commission has the right to utilize specialized people in the interview to make the test.

5. The committee forms specialized groups to prepare and evaluate answers in the engineering majors that are set forth in Section #10 of this system. Moreover, the work duration of these groups is the same as for the committee work, which will supervises the preparation and adoption of each test and has taken necessary procedures to maintain the confidentiality as follows:

A – Each specialized group put all two test of three sections (Fundamentals of Engineering and Professional Test).

B – The Committee chooses randomly one of the three tests and the specialized committee put a new test instead of the chosen so that the number of tests available with the committee will be three tests on a permanent basis.

C – The chosen test is delivered to the Secretary of the commitee to copy and take necessary actions to provide it for who will take the test, which he will bear the responsibility for maintaining confidentiality of the exam and not to exposure it in public.

D - After the exam, the answers papers are given to specialized group to correct them and calculate grades.

E – The grades are given to the committee secretary to accredit and announce later.

6. Questions in the tests are ranging so that each test includes MCQ, written (short/detailed answers), design... and others.

7. Council puts the organization of administrative rules for the conduct of examinations and oversight committees and securities trading questions and answers, and monitoring grades and announcement of the results.

8. The Board shall determine in coordination with the appropriate length of time the specialized committees to test the performance of the professional engineer with both parts, which are engineering principles and professional applications.

9. The required mark to pass a test for title of professional engineer (for both parts) is at least 70% of the total degree.

10. It is allowed – after payment of the listed fee – to repeat exams for an unspecified number of until success.

11. The committee determines and announces the scientific references that applicants can use for to prepare for tests. Also, the committee may prepare and provide test samples for training and to qualify applicants.

12. The committee may organize and coordinate training courses and seminars to prepare the applicants for the tests, whether committee or whatever organized them available courses and seminars at other destinations as long as they are accredited.

Section No. 7: Certificates and Stamps

1. Based upon committee’s decision, GCC engineering council/society issues certificates to whoever passed the test, where the certificate shows full name, owned title, number and date of approval. The certificate is signed from the council/society chairman and stamped.

2. Certificate is considered a clear evidence that the person named is authorized and has all the rights, privileges and responsibilities assigned to him as he is granted the title, and this certificate will not be expired.

3. Engineer may apply to the committee for a ring which has his name and title on the certificate, which the committee is doing for a listed fee.

4. If the ring was on any document, the title holding engineer signs beside it or with date.

5. Signature and the ring are placed on all specifications, reports, maps, drawings, designs and calculations when they are submitted to any client.

6. Putting the ring and signature on any document that will be an approval on the existing work that has been done by the engineer or under his supervision.

7. The signing of the title holder on any document and stamped is considered to be an acknowledgment of bearing all the financial and legal responsibilities and other implications of this work. The committee does not bear any responsibility in this regard.

8. The title holder has not the right to be entitled to signature or seal any act or document that it was not done under his supervision.

Section No. 8: Re-issuing certificates

Certificates can be reissued again if in case of lost, damage and defection according to the rules established by the council alongside with the payment of the listed fee for each case.

Section No. 9: The rules of ethics of the profession of engineering

The titleholder must take into account the full compliance regarding the rules of ethics of engineering for GCC engineering council/society and any amendments or additions that is made after.

Disciplinary proceedings

The Council has the power to suspend or cancel the engineering title, referral to the investigation, reprimand, fine, or to refuse to issue or reissue a title certificate to any engineer who is found guilty of any of the following:

1. The implementation of any work in which is considered fraud or deception in obtaining or attempting to obtain a certificate granting the title.

2. Any negligence, incapacity or misconduct in the implementation of the profession.

3. Commit a crime involving immorality that will have a final judgment.

4. Refuse to provide any information required by the committee against a complaint, which gives an indication of disobey to system.

6. Assist any other person to breach of any condition or rules in this system or by the relevant regulations.

7. Violate any of the test conditions imposed by the committee.

8. Use the title ring or engineering practice when approval granted to him be suspended or canceled.

9. Signature and seal or stamp to allow any specifications, reports, charts, information, a design, construction, accounts or survey work which did not have a review prepared by himself or under his responsibility or supervision of direct personal documents, maps.

10. Give false information or testimony to the council.

Section No. 10: Majors and areas of practice of the profession

Council grants the title to engineers who have the following engineering majors:

7) Education, which means the university or training education to prepare the technical sector for engineering projects.

8) Scientific Research, which is to research in the scientific and engineering topics and problems, whether applied or fundamental, which industrial/engineering projects encounter.

9) Experiences and Consultations, which is to give technical opinion in certain engineering topics.

10) Operation, which is intended to supervise the usage of project/device after installation.

11) Maintenance, which is to set maintenance systems, supervise them, make preventive maintenance to avoid stoppages or to reset the part/project to the right situation.

12) Testing, which is to check validity of the materials, parts, necessary or used preparations for engineering or industrial projects. It has also to check influence of the surroundings, matching standards and conditions of operation and investment.

13) Checking, which is to ensure quality, classification of production and matching percentage with design and standards.

14) Production, which is series of the followed processes to have the product (or some parts) according to an approved design with the best technical and economic conditions.

15) Industry, which is the practical translation of society nutritional, clothes, security and housing requairements through scientific approach.

16) Defining the engineering materials, machines an apparatus; which will be done through technical and engineering guidance to their features.

17) Career Health and Safety, which is to set engineered system to protect indivisuals, machines, projects and environment from dangers beside preparing safety guides.

The committee has the right to add any other engineering major or another aspect to practice the career without need to edit this system.

Section No. 11: Transitional Stage

For next five years of establishing this system (as a transitional stage), the committee has the right to grant “professional engineer” and “consultant engineer” to any experienced engineer who has the following:

- A valid council/society subscription, documented practical experience of 5-10 years and to pass Professional Test.

- A valid council/society subscription, documented practical experience of +15 years and a file with statements of his experiences and jobs.